All Posts

The holiday season is a time for joy, connection, and togetherness and at Chicago Emerging Stars, we believe every family deserves to experience that feeling. This season, Chicago Emerging Stars proudly partnered with the 006th District Community Policing Office to support a Holiday Toy Drive centered on dignity, choice, and community care. Together, through the generosity of our partners and supporters, more than 1,000 toys were distributed to over 300 families across Chicag

This month, Chicago Emerging Stars was honored to be featured in a City Bureau story highlighting how young Chicagoans are creating their own community spaces in a post-pandemic world. While the article centers on youth-led third spaces and mental health, for us, this feature represents something even deeper: proof that young people are not waiting to be invited into leadership, we are building it ourselves. Chicago Emerging Stars was born from lived experience, loss, love, a

On Saturday, November 22, 2025, something powerful happened on Chicago’s South Side and it wasn’t just a giveaway. It was a reminder of what Chicago looks like when the community shows up for community. Chicago Emerging Stars, a fast-growing, youth-led nonprofit founded by Chicago native Jaqueza Thomas, hosted its 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway themed “Together We Give. Together We Rise.” Families began arriving early, bracing against the cold with the same hope they